Ready to Enhance ASCE’s Esteemed Place among Civil Engineers in Asia

I’m taking a break from packing to let you know how much I am looking forward to representing you the members, whether in the U.S. or wherever you practice, on my official international trip for ASCE this month. I intend to return having advanced the Society’s global strategy, as well as having affirmed our commitments with our Asian counterparts to enhancing and expanding the adoption of sustainable practices.

On the first leg of the trip, I’ll be meeting ASCE India Section members and welcoming new leadership in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The Indian government is said to be planning more infrastructure development in a country where the need for civil engineers is already acute. The coming expansion represents an opportunity for ASCE in a place where we are already highly regarded and growing. I’ll discuss this potential with our Section leadership there.

From Kolkata, I’ll fly to Indonesia for meetings of the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council in Jakarta, held concurrently with CECAR 6, the sixth Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region. ASCE is one of 10 council members and will host the next CECAR conference in 2016. I’ll deliver a keynote address at the ACECC meeting, and later join the presidents of the nine other member societies to sign a protocol on collaboration toward a shared vision of sustainability in 21st century civil engineering.

I’ll share details from the trip, and maybe a photo or two, in my next posts. Accompanying me will be Executive Director Pat Natale and Director of International Relations Meggan Maughan-Brown, with thanks to them for their enormous help.

What do you think of ASCE’s growing influence among our international peers, and how should the Society build on it?